FIG. 1 shows various common components of a liquid crystal display (LCD) device 100. A back light unit 101, for example, produces a near uniform light pattern for illuminating the LCD panel 103. The LCD panel 103 is sandwiched between two polarizers 102. A first polarizer 102 is located between the back light unit 101 and the LCD panel 103 to polarize the light entering the LCD panel 103. A second polarizer 102 is located on the opposite side of the LCD panel 103 is polarized in a direction perpendicular to the first polarizer 102 to block any light that did not change polarization while passing through the LCD panel 103. Additionally, LCD devices 100 often include a cover glass 105 to protect the internal components.
The viewing angle of such LCD devices 100, however, is limited. Without means to further increase the viewing angle, the viewing angle typically is about +/−30 degrees, which is inadequate for many applications, such as television or mobile computing devices. In fact, for tablets and mobile phones a wide viewing angle is necessary to allow sharing of the display by multiple users. Solutions that involve placing a light scattering film between the polarizer 102 and the cover glass 105 often can reduce the clarity of an image on the LCD device 100. More complex solutions, such as altering the LCD panel, can be costly.